JamieLogical

I know everyone's plan is a little different, but my nutritionist told me to start my bariatric multivitamins and probiotics when I start my pre-op diet. The calcium and vitamin B don't start until after the surgery.

I had an extended tummy tuck back in 2011 and I've been thrilled with the results as well. I had lost 90 pounds prior to the procedure and I have since regained 80 of that. My tummy is still flat and the muscle repair has held up amazingly well. I'm hoping that after I am sleeved and re-lose the weight, I won't need any sort of revision.

My pre-op diet is supposed to be pretty similar. I don't start in for another couple of weeks, but my nutritionist said I should lose 3-5 pounds per week on it.

I don't think choosing a surgeon is much different for Canadians than it is for us Americans. Here's how I reached my decision. First I contacted my plastic surgeon (I'd had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation in Mexico in 2011) to see if she recommended anyone. She immediately got back to me and recommended the surgeon who had done HER gastric sleeve, as well as her patient coordinator's. Right away that sounded really attractive, as I LOVE my plastic surgeon and trust her judgement 100%. However, the fact that the surgeon she referred me to doesn't speak English and doesn't have an international reputation (not well-known outside of Tijuana) ultimately deterred me. Next I came to these forums and I read a lot of the posts here. There was a Goolge Docs spreadsheet linked from this post: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308509-surgeons-in-the-4500-dollar-range/ It has some pricing information and one person's notes on all her research of various doctors in the $4500 price range. I read the whole thing and absorbed all of that information. Then I read the entirety of this VERY long thread on Ariel Ortiz and the Obesity Control Center (OCC): http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261806-dr-ariel-ortiz-and-obesity-control-center/ Ultimately, the contents of that thread, along with more research on my own, helped persuade me that Dr. Ortiz and OCC was the best option for me. Yes, they cost about $2000 more than some of the "cheaper" options, but I just felt so confident entrusting a surgeon who was named by Newsweek as one of the top 15 in the world. What is a couple thousand dollars long term when we are talking about a surgery that is going to change the rest of your life? There are many great surgeons out there and no one is going to be able to tell you what the best option is for YOU, so do your research and draw your own conclusions.

There is an entire sub-forum on this site dedicated to self-pay in Mexico. You can get a lot of the information you are looking for there. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/486-self-pay-mexico-gastric-sleeve-surgery/ I am going to Mexico for surgery on Sept.1 through the Obesity Control Center with Dr. Ariel Ortiz.

My insurance doesn't cover VSG and to be eligible for any WLS at all, I would have to have had a BMI of over 35 for at least 5 years. Back in 2010/2011, I lost 90 pounds "on my own" which put my BMI well under 35 for a while. It's now back up over 40, but that doesn't matter. I would have to have waited another two years at least to be eligible.

Less than 4 months and already down 50 pounds? You must feel as amazing as you look!

I went to Tijuana to have my work done. I had the extended tummy tuck, lift with implants, and body sculpting with lipo all done at the same time. The total cost for all of that was $8500 back in 2011, not counting the cost of my stay at the recovery house, take-home medication, and compression garments. I think in all I spent about $11000. Of course if you are only doing lift with implants, your cost would be a lot lower, since the surgery itself would be less and your stay in Tijuana would be much shorter (mine had to be two weeks for the tummy tuck and because I was having so much done at one time). If Medical Tourism is an option for you (I know some people want nothing to do with it!), let me know and I can give you more info about my surgeon.

I'm not sleeved yet (Sept. 1), but I lost 90 pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011. After I lot the weight, I had an extended tummy tuck to remove my excess skin and I had a breast lift with implants for the same reason you're considering it. I never had large breast to begin with, but had gotten up to a C at my heaviest, so when I lost the weight and got down to an A/B again, they were very "deflated" looking. So I knew I wanted a lift and why not get implants as well, since my breasts had always been on the small side. I am SOOOOOOOOO happy I did it! I love love love them. And even though I've regained the weight (thus the need to be sleeved) I a hopeful that I won't have the same issue losing weight this time around, since the implants obviously won't shrink as I lose weight. One thing you have to be okay with though is the scarring, There will be scarring, so make sure you and your spouse are prepared for that. The amount of scarring will depend on what type of lift is necessary.

If you click on someone's profile name under their photo, it takes you to their profile page. On that page, in the upper-right corner of the profile area (not the main site navigation) you will see links to add someone as a friend and/or send them a private message. As for finding others with a similar surgery date, you could try looking in the Monthly Support Group Forums... here's the one for August 2014: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1005-august-2014-sleevers/

Congratulations! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Barb, it's great to hear you are doing well. Your posts throughout this thread really inspired and encouraged me to choose OCC!

Joatsaint, I just started watching some of your youtube videos and they are AMAZING. Thank you so much for posting them!

I am the exact same way. I've paid my deposit and booked my airfare (going to Mexico for my surgery), so there really is no turning back now. But, I fluctuate constantly between excitement and apprehension. One minute I can't wait and wish my surgery was tomorrow. The next minute, I'm like "what have I done?!?!" My main sources of anxiety are the money (since I'm self-paying) and knowing that my life will never be the same after this. Fortunately I'm not all that worried about the surgery itself.

The good news is you ARE losing weight and a lot of it! Definitely consider increasing your calories a bit. Just try ot for a few days and see if it helps at all.

I'm only two days ahead of you on Sept. 1. I don't know about starting your pre-op diet this far out. I've personally just been increasing my exercise and watching what I eat. My nutritionist suggested to do Atkins essentially until my pre-op diet starts. Low carb, high protein. But I haven't done that, because I've already been losing weight over the past month by just exercising and restricting calories. The pre-op diet my nutritionist wants me on is only about 500 calories per day (from protein shakes), so I definitely don't want to start that even one day sooner than I have to! Trying to live on 500 calories a day while continuing to exercise, with my whole stomach still intact seems INSANE!

First off, 25 pounds in six weeks is not slow! I don't know where some people are getting these unrealistic expectations of how fast they should be dropping weight post-sleeve. I haven't had mine yet (scheduled for Sept. 1), but I've done a TON of research and watched a lot of youtube videos and read a lot of blogs from post-op sleevers and I am hoping to be able to lose about 10 pounds per month post-op. If you've lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks, that means you're already 20 pounds ahead of my 6 week goal! Secondly, I think 300-500 calories a day is too little 6 weeks out. You should be aiming for 600 I would guess. Have you talked to your nutritionist?

I'm still pre-op, but I remember a couple of years back when I was trying to lose weight "on my own", I was tracking and planning every single thing I ate. One day I had budgeted for some neapolitan ice cream at the end of the day and I was SOOOOO looking forward to it. When I went to the freezer to finally have it, I found out my husband had eaten the last of it the day before! This was my special, slow-churned low fat ice cream that was clearly meant for my diet. I was literally in tears. Not just because I wasn't going to get to have the ice cream, but because it meant scrounging last-minute to try to find *something* to eat that would fit into my ranges for the day after I had so carefully pre-planned everything.

It really depends on your employer's policies. I had to have FMLA paperwork completed by my surgeon's office and sent to an HR rep in order to qualify for my employer's "catastrophic leave bank". The leave bank is meant for people who have to be out due to medical reasons but have already exhausted their personal sick days. I will only have 1 accrued sick day heading into my surgery, so I needed to be able to access the leave bank for the remaining days off. So that one HR rep knows what procedure I'm having. My supervisors and coworkers just know that I am having surgery and will be out for 2 weeks. I didn't tell them what I'm having surgery for and, thankfully, none of them asked.

The article says she had gastric bypass in 2006.

I don't know anything about Dr. Avalos. I can only talk about my own plastic surgery experience. I had an extended tummy tuck, breast lift w/ augmentation, and lipo sculpting with Dr. Carmina Cardenas in August of 2011 and it was a fantastic experience all around. Dr. Cardenas is an amazing person. I felt so cared for and taken care of. I had to be in Tijuana for 14 days because I had so much done at once and she came to check on me at the recovery house every single day (except one when she had to go out of town). She even followed up with me for MONTHS via email after I came home. After I am sleeved and re-lose all the weight I've gained since my tummy tuck, I will 100% be going back to Dr. Cardenas if I need an revisions or additional work (considering a thigh lift).

I chose gastric sleeve for maintenance more than for weight loss. I know I can lose weight "on my own". I've been losing and gaining weight most of my life. In 2010/2011 I had my biggest weight loss. I went from 270 down to 176. But you know what happened? I regained ~50 of that. Then I re-lost 25-30. Then I gained 40. The I re-lost 40. Then I gained 60. And by the end of June of this year, I was all the way back up to 260. Only 10 pounds shy of my highest weight! I decided to work to lose weight yet again. In the past month I've lost 10.2 pounds. But this time will be the last time. I don't want to get back down into the 170s or lower just to gain it all back AGAIN! They don't perform weight loss surgery on people who are a healthy weight. So if I were to lose the weight "on my own" again, the chances are very high that I'd be right back here in a couple of years. The time is now for me. I will have the surgery and use it as a tool for weight loss this time around. But the big difference is, with my smaller stomach and the things I learn along THIS journey, I will be able to MAINTAIN a healthy weight and never be back here again. The research I've done shows a fairly low "failure" rate for gastric sleeve. "Failure" meaning regaining the weight after the initial loss. One study showed a failure rate of roughly 20% (1 in 5), but they defined "failure" as regaining 22 pounds or more. I figure, even if I'm in that 20%, if I lose 100+ pounds and regain 20, I'm still down 80+ pounds. That's a hell of a lot better than my own personal failure rate with diet and exercise where 100% of the time I've regained 80-100% of the weight I had lost!

I just got my pre-op diet outline from the nutritionist at Obesity Control Center (Dr. Ariel Ortiz) and it seems unfun. It's basically just three protein shakes per day, sugar free jello, sugar free popcicles, and leafy green salads with calorie-free dressing. I asked for specifics about the protein shakes and she said I should look for protein powder that is around 150 cals per scoop. I should mix that with a half cup of unsweetened almond milk and a half cup of water. That means the total caloric content for the shakes would be 165. Multiply that by three and it comes out to 495. That means she wants me only eating 500 calories a day! It seems insane and impossible. I have an outstanding question about whether I should stop working out while eating so few calories, but haven't heard back yet. I'll let you know what she says. If I'm only eating 500 calories per day and burning ~350 from exercise, that's only a net of 150 calories. It basically seems like doctor-sanctioned anorexia.

I lost 90+ pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011 and had extended tummy tuck, breast lift w/ augmentation, and lipo body contouring all over with Dr. Cardenas in Tijuana. I have unfortunately gained back most of the weight I lost, which is why I'm on these forums in the first place. I am scheduled for Gastric Sleeve with Ariel Ortiz on Sept. 1 and I will definitely be returning to Dr. Cardenas if I require any revisions to my tummy tuck or any additional plastics after I lose the weight for good. She is AMAZING and a wonderful, caring person and I love her to death. Her staff and the staff of the recovery house she's affiliated with were there for me every single second of every single day. I spent 14 days in Tijuana and Dr. Cardenas herself came and checked on me every single day at the recovery house except for one day when she had to travel out of town. I had round-the-clock nursing care. They provided me with everything I needed... medication, toiletries, robes/nightgowns to wear, all my food was prepared for me. The staff helped me in and out of bed, showered me, helped me go to the bathroom... I just can't say enough good things about the whole experience. No doubt I will be returning if I need any work after my weight loss from my sleeve.

From everything I've read and researched, 600 would be the absolute low end of the number of calories you should be getting by that phase.